running up that hill
by comptine
Summary: Her mentors’ beach house was empty, covered in seven years of dust. They had died long before she had escaped from prison with her father. Naturally, she assumed that it was left to her. Why wouldn’t it be? Azula and Ozai plan their revenge against Zuko.


**Careful, careful, this story has an incest relationship. Keep an open mind or your mouth shut, your choice. This, by NO MEANS, does not mean I support this behavior in ANY WAY.**  


* * *

_running up that hill_

.

Her mentors' beach house was empty, covered in seven years of dust. They had died long before she had escaped from prison with her father. Naturally, she assumed that it was left to her. Why wouldn't it be?

The first part of her training had been cleaning the house, making it fit for the future Fire Lord –at least that's what he told her, she wasn't so sure if she believed him anymore.- She dusted, swept and scrubbed the floor still the wood seemed to shine. She did not complain. Her father said it was for her own sake, that she would grow and evolve from this.

Again, she wasn't sure if she believed him.

After that, her father moved to the rocky cliff under the home. He had said that there was an old library kept deep under Ember Island, used only once in a millennia, when the Fire Nation was in great need of a leader. She didn't quite understand why he believed that the nation needed a leader; her brother was doing a fine job, not better than what she could be doing, but a good enough job for a weakling.

"Don't question me." Ozai growled at her, feeling the carvings that lined the stone. "I am going to fix this nation and the rest of the world, with or without your help." She stayed with him until frustration got the better of him and he punched the wall.

Like a good daughter, she bandaged his knuckles and said nothing when he slapped her, his frustration still high.

The next day, her father gently woke her up, his hand skimming over her slightly swollen cheek. "Azula… wake up my little princess, we have a big day ahead." She blinked her eyes open and for a moment she thought she was a young girl again. It had been countless years since she had seen her father smile so lovingly, without any spite behind it.

She climbed out of bed, following her father onto the small deck. The sun was blazing against the grey sky. Azula breathed in, power flowing into the limbs. How she would love to firebend, to send her own fire into the sky so it might rival the sun in brightness.

As this thought passed through her mind, icy pain shot up her spine. She cried out, arms scrabbling at her back. Her father's voice echoed around her as the cold drained from her body.

The torture they put her through still was engrained in her mind. The bath of cold water they would place her in before locking her in the freezer. As she would sit shivering in the cage, not daring to even attempt firebending. The punishment for even the tiniest of flames was death. She thought often about escaping but her dear brother made sure that she had two guards on her at all times, a waterbender and an earthbender.

One to douse her flames. The other to stamp them out. She was subdued - for the moment at least. She would escape and when she did, her brother would have more to worry about than some stupid trading issue with the Earth Kingdom.

But as the weeks turned to months and the torture continued, her resolve melted away. The Blue Dragon was nothing more than a snivelling shell of the beast she had once been. She never thought she would firebend again. She never planned to feel the fire course through her veins again.

"Azula?" The voice snapped her out of her stupor. She breathed in suddenly, sitting up quickly. Panting, she looked round to see her father standing over her, his arms folded. "Get up."

She scrambled to her feet, still breathing heavy. Her father sneered. "Have a nice little nap? We have work to do." He said. Without waiting for her, he moved onto the deck. The sun was now halfway through the sky, at the very height of the blue. She shrunk away from the light, but said nothing.

Ozai reached up towards the sun, closing his eyes. "I can't feel the power anymore." He confessed. His fingertips clutched at the sky, as though he was going to take flight. "The sun means nothing to me besides a means to keep time."

Azula remained quiet. Her skin was still spotted with goosebumps.

"Can you feel it?" Her father asked, looking at her. "Can you feel the power that the sun brings to firebenders?"

She nodded. If she could only go back inside, hide from the sunlight… His hands grabbed her shoulders. "Help me win back our nation. Help me beat your brother. Help me, my daughter. Help me."

Closing her eyes, she reached up to cover his hands with her own. "Anything, father. I'll do anything to help you."

He bent over, placing a kiss on her forehead. "That's my little princess." Gently, his hands let go of her. "Now, let's begin."

Azula watched as her father reached into his pocket and pulled out a grimy bronze coin and placed it in front of her. The sun winked off of it, making her shield her eyes. Ozai took a step back, crossing his arms. "I want you to melt it with your fire."

Carefully she lowered her hand. Her voice shook as she spoke. "Father. You know as well as I do that I can no longer bend fire."

Ozai's face tightened. "That is a lie Azula. You can bend."

"Father!" She hated how weak her voice was, "I can't! I can't do it anymore! The ice is too cold! I can't thaw it! I can't-" A hand was brought across her face, leaving a stinging mark.

"Don't tell me these lies!" Ozai screamed at her, grabbing her shoulders. There was no love in his voice and his fingernails cut into her skin. "You can't bend? I CAN'T BEND. You will bend for me Azula. YOU WILL OBEY ME!" He threw her aside and her collapsed against the house, clutching her cheek.

They stared at each other, Ozai towering over Azula as she trembled violently. A single tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped away, not wanting to appear any more fragile in her father's eye. When did she become like this? Did prison really change her this much?

She tried to get back into the house but an arm caught her and she was pulled into her father's chest. "I'm sorry." He breathed into her hair, stroking her back. "I'm so sorry my little princess…"

Closing her eyes, Azula carefully wrapped her arms around her father. She realizes, vaguely, that she missed how he smelled.

* * *

The training started the next day at the very crack of dawn. She was happy. It was just like the old days, only her and her father with nothing to do but to teach and to learn.

Ozai was already up, sitting cross-legged on the balcony. A breeze played with his long hair, letting in curl into the hair. She took the seat beside him, pulling her legs under her.

"Ready to begin?" He asked, getting to his feet.

She nodded and also rose. He began to move through positions, his thin muscles going taunt. Copying his movement, her body relaxed into the movements. It was the Dipping Tiger-Crane, used to stretch the body to its limit. The princess reveled in it. She hadn't felt this nice since before her incarceration.

When they finished, their body were shining with sweat. Azula was smirking slightly. It felt good to move with power and grace again. For one brief moment, she felt like her old self until her father's voice plucked her from the elation.

"Are you ready to attempt your firebending again?" Immediately, her blood ran cold. She shivered violently, hugging herself. Ozai raised his eyebrow at her. "Should I take that as no?"

"Of course not father." Azula forced out the words out passed her chattering teeth. "I will begin immediately." Taking in a shuddering breath, she lowered her stance, trying to control her trembling limbs. The fire was filling her but it couldn't move past the ice that seemed to freeze her hands.

She forced her numb fingers into a fist and jabbed violently, struggling to get the fire to show itself. Smoke coiled from her palm but no bright flame accompanied it. Frowning, she punched with her right fist, followed by a crescent kick. No fire blazed in the air.

Swallowing, she turned to her father. He was scowling and she could see the vein throbbing in his forehead. His fingers tapped against his arm, clearly unimpressed. He quirked an eyebrow as if to say, "Is that all?"

Azula tried again. And again. And again. An hour passed. Two. Five. It was the next morning and she only stopped when she collapsed from exhaustion. As she slept, her dreams were plague with images failures so when she woke, she was sweating as though she had just run a mile.

Not to her surprise, she was still laying outside. Her father had not brought her in as punishment. She moved through the Dipping Tiger-Crane stretches, not caring if her father saw her or not. This was now her battle.

Everyday she trained, pushing her body to its limits. Everyday, she made no progress. Just as the fire would flare at her fingertips, the memory of the icy cage would press on her, extinguishing her flames. Everyday, she would see her father watching, the disappointed look never leaving his face. Everyday, she wished that she would break free of the ice that trapped her since The Comet.

She screamed with rage as the image of the waterbending witch flashed in her mind's eye. Blue flames erupted in her palm, making her jump back in surprise. Once it had sunk in, she grinned and turned, ready to receive praise from her father.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

Again she screamed, punching the ground. Fire licked at the wood but went no further. She punched again and again until her fists were a bloody mess.

"Sloppy." A voice drawled. She turned, panting furiously, fists dangling uselessly at her sides. "How do you expect to bet your brother with this kind of weakness?" Her father was standing in the doorway. The sneer on his face was one she had seen all to often when she was young. She had never expected to see it directed at her, only at her brother. But there it was, condescending, disappointed and furious all in one. "You're worse than Zuko."

**Worse.**

**  
Than.**

**  
Zuko.**

Each word struck her very core, making her gasp. Tear stung her eyes and she bowed her head, turning away from her father. Her brother's face flashed behind her closed eyes. He was smiling. Smiling. How dare he smile while she fell? How dare he smile while she rotted away? How dare he smile while she became nothing more than a common peasant?

A roar tore her throat and she punched the air. Fire exploded into the air, sending her flying back. She hit her father but instead of falling to the ground, his arms wrapped around her.

"So much hate for the ones we love?" He cooed into her ear, letting his hand travel over her thin curves, fingertips bruising her skin, "You hate Zuko." The fire that had disappeared too quickly rekindled and she could feel the blue fire playing at her fingertips.

"I hate Zuko." She repeated, curling her hand into a fist, ignoring the pain that was burning along her knuckles. "I want to ruin him. I want him to never smile again. I want to destroy everything he loves." With each vow, the fire burned brighter. The ice was melting, forming on her skin.

"My little princess…" Ozai's mouth was hot on her neck. She did not question him. He was her father. This was all training. His hands moved up and down her legs and the fire in her stomach grew. She moved against him, following the delicate pull of his fingers. They moved through the stretches, their bodies working with each other. Fire ran along every inch of her frame, never burning her. She was powerful again. She turned her head so she could met her father's lips with her own.

He pulled her closer, the heat between them finishing away any remains of the cold memories. Her hands entangled in his hair, pushing her thin body against his.

_This isn't wrong._ She kept telling herself as his hands traced along her inner thigh. _This isn't wrong._ She kept telling herself as she panting against her father, not sure if the warmth was her own fire anymore. _This isn't wrong._ She kept telling herself as Ozai's tongue invaded her mouth.

Ozai suddenly pulled away, pushing Azula away from his. She trembled on her own feet for a moment. Her father was breathing hard, his brown eyes narrowed as he stared at her. She could feel the change within her own body. She was no longer was hunched over, but stood proud, like the princess she once was. She was her old self.

Azula did not know what her father was going to do. Would he strike her? Saying that they were not even close to finishing. Would he praise her? Just like the old days where she was his one and only prize. Would he kiss her? His taste still lingered in his mouth, making her run her tongue over her slightly swollen lips.

When he made no move, she bowed. "Thank you father."

A moment passed before a hand moved under her chin, tilting her head upwards. Ozai leaned over, kissing her forehead.

"Thank you... my little princess..."

.

* * *

I SWORE I'D GET THIS DONE IN TIME. AND I DID. So busy the last month working on school writing and other stuffs (Fallout3 anyone? Not to mention OTAFEST.) So I wasn't sure if I was going to be finished in time but I WAS!)

I was really worried when TT asked for Ozula as I've never written anything even CLOSE to it but when I got into it I found it was one of the easier ships to write! This doesn't mean I support Ozula I just don't turn my head as often as I normally would.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some Russia/America to write.


End file.
